Is it the right time to Wildcard?
In every FPL season one of the biggest decisions a manager faces is when is the right time to Wildcard button. Many FPL managers have activated their chips and many content creators have been looking at who to buy if on a Wildcard. We take a look at the best Wildcard picks for Gameweek 24 and beyond.
There are a number of factors for FPL managers to consider before pressing the Wildcard button.
- The form and fixtures of your current team
- How many of the current team you would want to keep
- Whether there is a better time in the future to hit the button
- The potential for points from additional rescheduled fixtures.
if like FPL Tom you don’t like your current team now could be the perfect Wildcard moment.
For managers trying to decide if the right time to Wildcard is ahead of the Gameweek 24 deadline a look at how many of the top transfers targets they own is useful.
Top transfers in
Aston Villa sit top of the Fantasy Football Scout fixture ticker over the next five weeks and so it is unsurprising to see Digne and Coutinho top targets for Wildcarders and non Wildcarders alike.
With the AFCON final the Sunday prior to the Gameweek 24 deadline many managers are looking to wildcard as a means of bringing Mo Salah back into their squads.
Popular Wildcard Picks
Mo Salah
With the Egyptian away at the African Cup of Nations and due to return before the Gameweek 24 deadline managers are keen to bring him back into their teams.
Salah has missed the last two Gameweeks whilst away on international duty, however he still remains the highest scoring player in the game with 177 points. A full 33 points ahead of team mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Most FPL managers will be looking for a route back to Salah and a Wildcard might be the easiest way to buy him back.
Aston Villa
There are so many attractive FPL options at Aston Villa at the moment. Lucas Digne was always a popular FPL option, however his lack of minutes at Everton this season made him a non option. He has now started two Premier League matches for Aston Villa and has already returned a double digit haul.
Likewise Emiliano Buendia and Coutinho have found form in recent weeks, both registering attacking returns. Ollie Watkins also looks to be the pick of mid priced forwards for managers wildcarding. Whilst Watkins ha only returned.
Double Gameweek players
For FPL managers looking to play their Wildcard ahead of Gameweek 24 they should carefully consider Brighton and Manchester United assets. Both Brighton and United play twice in Gameweek 25 and so managers need to weigh up how far they want to target those teams or build a team more long term.
Owning lots of players like Robert Sanchez, David De Gea, Leandro Trossard, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo may seem attractive ahead of the double. However, if you don’t want to own these players long term just owning a couple is likely a better strategy.
Blank Gameweeks
Wildcarding ahead of Gameweek 24 also allows manager with blank Gameweek players to manage them. Players like Antonio Rudiger and Mason Mount are in a high percentage of FPL teams and playing the Wildcard means that they can be exchanged without a points hit for players who will play and have good fixtures.
Aaron Ramsdale is currently the most popular goalkeeper in the game and whilst many would not want to sell the Arsenal shot stopper Wildcarding would give managers the opportunity to bring in a second playing goalkeeper. Robert Sanchez plays twice when Brighton double in Gameweek 25 and Arsenal blank. If managers can solve these issues it could mean it is the right time to Wildcard.
Wildcard content
Az and Sam realised a video over on the Fantasy Football Scout YouTube channel looking at Wildcard drafts that they had made and from the community.
Let’s Talk FPL (Andy) has published a wildcard guide over on his YouTube channel.
Denis has been rating community wildcards ahead of the Gameweek 24 deadline.
